Royce O. Kennedy
“ON EAGLES’ WINGS MINISTRIES”
“Did
God Establish—A Man’s World?” Part 7; May 2010
At this
juncture our study brings into focus the life and times of Ruth
featured in the Book of Ruth. In trying to learn all I can about this
fabulous lady I happened upon the following work by an unknown
author. “Since the Ruth of ancient Bible times, her name has
ever been a most popular one for girls. Her name was placed seventh
in the most popular female names in America. Her story begins with
famine being severe in Bethlehem-Judah, in so much that an entire
family decided to immigrate to the neighboring country of Moab. The
family consisted of a man named Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their
two sons, Mahlon and Cilion. The Moabites were idolaters and it was
simply a very bad omen for Hebrews who believed and worship the true
God to mix and mingle with people who served other gods. It holds
true even today, that in the absence of God’s true Word as a
form of constant food for the soul, people will turn to fables and
idols in numerous forms. This family left with a well balanced
number. There was the husband, the wife, and two sons; that seemed to
be a fair combination for success in any village or town. But they
were headed in the wrong direction! In basic layman’s terms,
they were leaving where God’s grace and mercy ruled
predominantly to where he was unknown; thus, they were headed in the
wrong direction.
The first sign of trouble came when Elimelech, the key figure in the family died. The second stroke of misfortune came when the fatherless young brothers both took wives of Moab. This family, seemingly, continued to drift in the wrong direction. Not only did they sojourn in this foreign land, but they became engrafted into the very fabric of Moabite society, thus shedding their Hebrew identity, or at least compromising it. The name Ruth is a contraction of reuth, which may either be the word for “the act of seeing” “sight” thus in English “objectively, a sight, something worth seeing—or the word for “friendship” or “female friend” like reu in Reuel, “friend of God.” Both meanings of the name were true of Ruth, for as a bright young woman from Moab, she was beautiful to look at. Her character presented her to be a woman capable of rare friendship. Mahlon took Ruth to wife after the death of his father. After about ten years sojourn in Moab, Mahlon and Chilion died, leaving two wives with a grieving mother in law. The norm in today’s world is that mother in laws are difficult to get along with. Even comedians on television make fun of the issue, but obviously Naomi got along very well with her daughters in law. These three women had one thing in common! They were bound together by grief in the loss of the men in their lives. In this well of grief it would appear that Ruth was the most optimistic of all three. Naomi seemed to have taken it the hardest because the girls lost only one man each, but Naomi had lost all three that had formed the bulwark of her life even in the most grievous of times.
Word reached Naomi that the Lord had visited his people in Bethlehem-Judah and food was now plentiful and she decided to return to her own people. The three women began their journey towards Naomi’s homeland, and for Naomi it had to be said that she went out full and was coming home empty. The human emotion embodied in this lesson is overwhelming if we put ourselves in the story as if we are recording events as they happen. You are there, and you hear Naomi say to her two daughters in law; “Go, return each to her mother’s house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. However, at this point both women refused to return and insisted in going forth with Naomi. Their mother in law laid out the facts as she saw them in stark reality. “And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? Are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also tonight, and should also bear sons; would ye tarry for them till they were grown? Would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me. And they lifted up their voice, and wept again. Ruth 1 14. At this point, Orpah the widow of Chilion bought into Naomi’s argument and decided to return to her own country. She saw everything that Ruth saw! She heard everything that Ruth heard! But her heart was not like Ruth’s and she proved this by kissing her mother in law and headed back to her own country, but Ruth clave unto Naomi. Naomi tried to persuade Ruth by saying, “Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.” What follows is the grandest, noblest, and most profound depiction of true love and devotion that the world has ever seen. It grabs one in the heart and touches every emotional cord in one’s deepest recesses. It was as if somewhere over ensuing years Ruth’s heart had secretly undergone a complete change. In fact we could call it a metamorphosis and a true conversion. This lady wasn’t buying into all the practical points highlighted by Naomi. Her reply was clear, distinct, and concise! “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for wither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.”
I think
it would not be fair for us to infer or to suppose that Ruth was so
well proportioned and full of resilience and fortitude that she felt
little grief over the loss of her husband. What is candidly portrayed
in Ruth’s case is that she had relinquished her relationship
with her people, and had given up her gods. She told her mother in
law, “Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.”
In doing so, she severed all ties with her past just as true
conversion should be. No more would she serve idols, but would
worship the God of the Hebrews, who is the only true God even though
in reality he is the true God of all peoples that dwell upon the
earth, even to those who do not know him.
As if
perfectly timed, Naomi and Ruth arrived back in Bethlehem at harvest
time, so both could get engaged in reaping the harvest in short
order. Ruth quickly arrived in the fields of a wealthy land owner
named Boaz, and was put to work in a field for the poor. She quietly
took her place among the poor and outcast working in the field of
Boaz which was not a coincidence. Boaz was a kind man who walked
among the gleaners in his field, possibly simply to show kindness. It
was here that he encountered Ruth, poorly clad and possibly looking a
little haggard. Making inquiries about her, Boaz learns of her
sacrifice for Naomi, and of her conversion to the worship of Jehovah,
and commands the reapers to purposely drop extra sheaves for Ruth’s
benefit. Boaz also bade Ruth to glean only in his field, and to stand
fast by his female workers. Boaz was one of Naomi’s closest
relatives and one of the few remaining kinsmen of her husband’s
family. Therefore he was able to befriend Ruth and according to the
deep principle pervading the law of Israel regarding the preservation
of families. It required that if a husband died without children, the
nearest brother in law might be called upon by the widow to perform
for her all the duties of a husband, and raise up seed for the
deceased.
In the
case of Ruth, however, no brother in law was available seeing the
only sons Elimelech had were dead. In this case, the nearest of kin
could be called upon to act as “redeemer” (goel) for the
unfortunate. There was one relative other than Boaz who could render
the services required to settle of inheritance and offspring, thus
prolonging the family name. Boaz took ten men of the city and sat
down with the kinsman who’s right it was to perform the
necessary duties. “And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that
is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land,
which was our brother Elimelech’s: And I thought to advertise
thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of
my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not
redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem
it beside thee; and I am after thee.” After being told that
Ruth came with the package and was a part of the deal, the kinsman
refused and left the way clear for Boaz, the next nearest kinsman to
act upon the transaction. “Now this was the manner in former
time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to
confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his
neighbor: and this was a testimony in Israel. Therefore the kinsman
said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe. And Boaz
said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this
day, that I have bought all the was Elimelech’s, and all that
was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi.
Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to
be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We
are witnesses. The lord make the woman that is come into thine house
like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel.”
Ruth 4:1-11. We are going to do a recap of some of the vital
points we have covered so far, especially as they pertain to the
lineage of Jesus Christ. As we inferred before, the pervading belief
in Christendom is that down through time, God had always secured a
“pure blood line” through which Jesus would come. I
suppose it had to be “pure” since it pertained to God and
his Son. But as we have seen in these studies that concept is far
from the truth, and the high degree of importance that the church
world has placed upon the role of the Jews in producing the
Christ-child is unwarranted and even unscriptural. Nothing we say
here is meant to be “anti-Jewish” or anti-Semitic. I said
in an earlier issue that as a Christian I cannot help but being
pro-Israel, but I am also pro-Arabs, pro-Palestinians, and pro-people
at large. Let us recap our story so far, beginning with Abram and
Sarai nestled snugly in their prosperous town in Ur of the Chaldees.
It has been established that the ancient city was located in Southern
Iraq, making the most prominent couple who became father and mother
of nations and of kings Iraqi citizens. It has also been established
that Rebecca, the wife of Isaac was a Syrian, and her brother to whom
Jacob fled was Syrian; and so were both his wives Rachel and Leah. We
have learned that Tamar was a Canaanite and she produced Pharez
through whose lineage Jesus came out of incest with her father in
law.
As we
fast-forward to Rahab we learn that she was a product of the Amorites
who were idol worshippers. From whom did this tribe emerge? They were
the offspring of Canaan the son of Ham. Ruth was from the land of
Moab and they were the descendants of Moab, the son of Lot’s
eldest daughter born out of incest with her father. Here are the
realities in a nutshell! Salmon married Rahab who was an Amorite, so
Boaz was half Jew. Boaz married Ruth of the land of Moab, thus making
Obed a quarter Jew. Obed produced Jesse the father David through whom
Jesus came. So it is evident that all along, from ancient times God’s
scheme was to bring forth a Son whose lineage was intermingled with
many nations upon earth, so that no single race, creed, or people can
lay claim to his ancestry. All nations were created IN HIM (Ephesians
2:10) and he came to earth bearing the imprint (DNA) of all nations.
As such, no one is a stranger to the Stranger of Galilee’s
shore. It is not by accident that God declared: “Behold, all
souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the
son is mine: the soul that sinneth shall die.” Ezekiel 18: 4.
There is
something unique about Jesus the Christ that I think is largely
missed by the clergy and laity alike. It came to my attention, only
because back in London, England, about 1968, the Lord spoke to me and
said, “When you read the bible, read slowly and watch every
word, for words have meanings.” So, I got to reading how Jesus
had just past his 29th birthday and the bible said that he
“began to be 30 years old” when he came to be baptized of
John in the Jordan River. Here is the actual narrative of scripture!
“And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years
of age, being (as was
SUPPOSED) the son of Joseph, which
was the son of Heli.” Luke 3: 23. First question here is
this: “Why did the scripture say that Jesus began to
be about thirty years of age?” We in our current society
celebrate our birthdays on this wise. On March 20th I will
be 75 years old, so we gather for a big birthday party. But in
reality if you say that you will be 75 years old on March 20,
2010, the truth is that at 12 midnight March 20, 2009, you
began to be 75. We count the year at its end, but in the case
of Jesus, his 30th year began right after his 29th
birthday, so he began to be 30 years old. When we celebrate a
birthday, we have actually lived it already, and at midnight on that
day, we begin to live the next birth-year.
But
that’s not all in the verse that caught my eye! Jesus was
portrayed in this manner: “being (as was supposed) the son
of Joseph.”Those three small words change the dynamics of
the entire subject, because in reality, Jesus was not the son of
Joseph, and this verse serves to highlight this fact. It does not say
it all, but enough was said to prompt us to take a second, closer
look. We move on to the big day of Pentecost, after the Holy Ghost
fell upon all those who were gathered
on the day
of Pentecost. Peter along
with the eleven got up and began to preach his dynamic sermon that
yielded 3,000 souls into the arms of Jesus. I can see Peter now! He
stands up with his colleagues and waves his hand, asking for calm. He
begins his memorable sermon by saying: “Men and brethren,
let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both
dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an
oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according
to the
flesh, he would raise up Christ to
sit on his throne.”Acts 2:29,30. First Jesus was “supposed”
to be the son of Joseph, and now he is next of kin to David-according
to the flesh. A plane and simple family tie needs no clarification,
but such was not the case with Jesus. From Acts we move to Romans and
here is what the record said: “Concerning his Son Jesus
Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according
to the flesh.”Romans 1: 3. Again, we are
compelled to ask; “why was it necessary to clarify Jesus’
relationship to David if he had been an undisputed offspring?”
Why highlight the fact that the relationship is based solely upon
flesh, when this clarification was not necessary for any other person
in the bible? For a full treatment of this subject, go to my website
at: www.godfire.net/kennedy
and click on the link, “Whom Do Men Say That I Am?” I
have offered a very detailed and concise study of the subject there.
But for this study, we have turned the spotlight on this truth
because it brings every human being into that personal link with
Jesus, and that makes him our outstanding and foremost big brother.
Every human being is directly related to Jesus and he testified to
this truth in Hebrews. “For both he that sanctifieth and
they who are sanctified are all of
one: for which cause he is not
ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto
my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the
children which God has given me.” Hebrews 2: 11-13.
We have
said all of the above, to re-emphasize the fact that God did not
preserve a pure blood line through which Jesus would come. God knows
no man after the flesh for he is Spirit and as Jesus said, “The
flesh profits nothing.” I like what Paul alluded to in his
letter to the Corinthians: “For he hath made him to be sin
for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him.” 2nd Corinthians 5: 21.
In my humble opinion, this did not happen until Jesus took our sins
in his body on the tree, and let it be understood that he took every
person’s sin at that moment. He offered one sacrifice for sin
forever, and for every person who ever lived dating back to Adam and
Even in the Garden of Eden. Hebrews 10: 12. Many speak incessantly
about the “humanity of Christ” in an effort to make him a
Jew, and even Pilate in anger asked “Am I a Jew?”
asserting that it was the Jews who accused him and brought him to
trial. But Paul clarified that issue this way: “The first
man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.”
1st Corinthians 15: 47. Long before Saul
of Tarsus became the apostle Paul, Jesus looked at the gainsayers and
doubters and declared: “Ye are from beneath; I am from
above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.” John 8:
23. Who among us is willing to make an argument out of this
truth? If Jesus is the Lord from heaven, and said himself that he is
from above, why are we running about making him Mary’s son? and
a Jew out of the house of David? We are taken back to the term,
“According to the flesh.”
Paul
gives us a good reason in his letter: “Forasmuch then as the
children, (of men) are partakers of flesh and blood, he also
himself took part of the same; (for what purpose and to what
end?) that through death he might destroy him that had the power
of death, that is, the devil.”Hebrews 2: 14. That is why
the mixture of a harlot, some born out of incest, and others of mixed
races and tribes, being figured into the lineage of Jesus matters
not. In fact, that is exactly how God ordained it, because in this
abundant mixture of races, class distinctions, and human characters,
his only begotten Son, drew unto himself all of what human components
are made of. Thank you Jesus! All of what I am and what you are, and
what all human beings are made of became a part of the lineage of
Jesus “according to the flesh.” Let us slow down a bit
here! If Jesus had taken on the sins of mankind at birth by being
born in sin and shapen in iniquity, he could not have been the
sacrificial Lamb without blemish. But had he not identified himself
with us, according to the flesh, he could not have been our true
representative on the cross. God had this thing so meticulously
structured that the mystery of it all is mind boggling. I stand
amazed as I gaze upon the man Christ Jesus who was not ashamed to
call us brethren. Can you imagine the very Lord of heaven allowing
the varied mixture of human beings to be figured into his lineage? He
pulled from a harlot, from some born out of incest such as Lot with
his daughter and Judah with his daughter in law. He included the
Jebusites, the Moabites, the Syrians, the Iraqis, the Canaanites, and
finally included the debt owed by every man before God. Can we amass
such love in our own lifetime? There was never a time when such a man
walked the earth, and never will be, because he was not a mere man.
He was the Lord from heaven who laid aside Deity and fashioned
himself in the likeness of fallen man, in order to lift man back into
the bosom of the Father out of whom we came before time began. We are
God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which
God hath before (the foundation of the world) ordained that we should
walk in them.” Ephesians 2: 10. All of these truths seem to
overtake us, and we are left to wonder, but none of this happened
overnight or by chance. Listen to something beautiful! “Be
thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power
of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace,
which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”
2nd Timothy 1:8b, 9. Sometimes we humans
are caught into circumstances and situations in which we have to play
it by ear, or improvise through a series of hits and misses. But not
so with God! Can you picture God at work, even when he had not yet
formed the earth? All aspects of life from an earth worm to a huge
elephant; from a tiny shrimp to a mighty great white shark; every
living thing and person had their DNA structured and put in place
before the world was; and this included a way to feed itself and
defend itself. I watch with marvel as we are shown how little
creatures hunt and feed themselves and avoid danger with superb
camouflage. Through it all, I look beyond Darwin and see a mighty
creator whose mind has no end. When we examine the human anatomy and
the function of every nervous system and organs in the body, we can
only lift our hands in amazement.
God’s
master plan of salvation culminating in the Christ of Calvary is a
massive inclusive one. It encompasses all human life, and even the
creation around us is on tip toe, waiting in earnest to see man’s
complete salvation, because then, creation will also obtain its own
redemption from decay and futility. Yes, our men and women are dying
in two wars and I hate to think of it. I shed a tear many a day for
the loss of our loved ones. Drug lords are having a hay day across
borders as dead bodies pile up. It is a combined groaning of a
creation that cries out for deliverance, but deep inside as children
of God, we see beyond the mist and the shadows, and lo, a bright and
beautiful day is just beyond the horizon. Every nation will have the
right to rejoice in him who took upon himself the form of earthly
man, taken out of all the peoples of the world. That is why the
apostle John in exile wrote: “For all nations shall come and
worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.”
Revelation 15: 4b. All nations can participate and rejoice
because Jesus partook of all nations’ sins and likeness, in
order to represent and mediate on behalf of all nations. Nothing is
by chance with God! Hallelujah!
The story
of Ruth excels among love stories that we are familiar with. We have
learned about Romeo and Juliet, Cleopatra and Anthony, King Edward
V111, who abdicated the British throne to marry an American divorcee
named Mrs. Wallis Simpson. But what makes the story of Ruth and Boaz
more compelling and meaningful is the spiritual realities that it
conveys. It stands in front of them all because of how Christ and the
Church came to be reflected in this amazing love story. As far as
ancient biblical women are concerned, Sarah stands in the forefront
even to a highly exalted place in this church age. So I put her in a
class by herself, or as they say, she stands in her own rights. But
taking one step back in time to one of the many conflicts Israel had,
and stood in dire need to be delivered, one amazing lady stepped to
the fore-front, took over at the helm, and guarded Israel out of
troubled waters. She was Queen Esther! I think every Jew in Israel or
any other country will smile and feel a sense of national pride
whenever the name of this queen is mentioned. Yes! I love her too!
Esther
was an orphan Jewish child raised in Persia (modern Iran) by her
cousin Mordecai who raised her as his own daughter. Her original name
was Hadassah that means “myrtle” and her new name Esther
means “star”. Even though her life experiences may have
differed from what “star” or “myrtle”
represents in reality, the path to the throne was written as it were,
in her genes. King Ahasuerus reigned from India to Ethiopia, a total
of one 127 provinces, and seemingly, was one of those “no
nonsense kings” who did not hesitate to show his anger in
punishment and death. He sent for Queen Vashti to attend a huge feast
at the Shushan palace, the same palace where Daniel the prophet died
well up in years. Vashti refused the king’s invitation and was
disinherited. A search went out for virgins, fair, and virtuous to be
brought before the king so he could choose another queen. Esther was
chosen, but had to hide her identity being a Jew. After she became
queen, the issue of her people came to the forefront, and they were
slated to be destroyed. As the practice was, the queen could not
approach the king uninvited, and if she did, she would only survive
if the king held out the golden scepter. Mordecai her cousin who
continued to watch over her well being as it were from the shadows
made it plain to Queen Esther that it was up to her to save herself
and her people from certain death and total annihilation. Mordecai
prodded the Queen to make a stand on behalf of herself and her
people, in view of the hideous plot that Haman had woven against all
Jews in the country. He sent the following message to Queen Esther:
“Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s
house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy
peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance
arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s
house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to
the kingdom for such a time as this? Then Esther bade them (the
messengers) return Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together all
the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast for me, and neither
eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will
fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not
according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:
13-15. So many times over the years as we sought to know the
deeper things of God, and as we saw overwhelming needs around us,
this thought tugged at my heart: “Who knows whether thou art
come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” I treat this
as something sacred and personal! Ask yourself right now; “Am I
come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” If so, what will
your contribution be, or what are my responsibilities? To whom do I
minister, and what do I minister? The other part of Esther’s
response that has always moved me in the Spirit is her words that we,
as preachers, have set in form of a sermon: “If I perish, I
perish” but I must see the king!” We generally use this
text to promote and instill in the hearts of God’s children,
determination, dedication, persistence, and total abandonment to the
service of Christ the King.
For an
orphan Jewish girl, who was raised by a cousin to rise to such
prominence that a book in the bible is named after her, is quite an
achievement indeed. But notice that Esther did not prove her stalwart
qualities by modeling clothes, or in being crowned as the winner of a
beauty contest. We have to believe that the hand of God was with her
even as a tiny girl starting her life without father or mother. We
have to believe that God’s hand was with her as she, along with
other virgins were introduced to the king. We have heard the term,
“if I have found favor in thy sight” or “having
favor with man and God.” “And Jesus increased in
wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” Luke 2:
52.” Members of the newly born Apostolic Church on the day
of Pentecost went about; “Praising God, and having favour
with all the people.” Acts 2: 47. We are told in Psalm 30:
5; that in God’s favour is life. Who among us do not embrace
and welcome a little favor from time to time? Thus, Esther found
favor with her keepers and her maidens and in the eyes of the king,
and it was that favor that got her on the throne as Queen Esther. In
Esther 5: 8, we hear Esther saying to the king, “If I have
found favour in thy sight.” This sentiment was repeated again
in chapter 7:3, and again in chapter 8:5. We could deem it to be
psychology or protocol. In one case she said, “If it please the
king and if I have found favour in thy sight.” This puts the
ball in the king’s court! She does not seem to be demanding
anything, but by putting the king’s own pleasure and her favor
with him on the line, was like placing the king in a bind with only
one way out; he had to say yes to her wishes. It reminds me of Paul
in his trial before King Agrippa! He asked the king, “Believest
thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.” Having said
that, he disarmed the king and took all denial out of this hand!
The favor
Esther found with the king would be tested as if in an oven. The test
involved her life and the life of all her people who lived in all 127
provinces over which the king ruled. As we have seen in the previous
verses, Mordecai laid before Esther the plain facts in terse remarks.
“Don’t think that you are going to escape because you are
in the king’s palace! Don’t think that being queen has
rendered as null and void the fact that you are a Jew. What befalls
them outside the palace gates will befall you within the gates! My
Queen! You are not immune! You have not become an untouchable! Like
in many cases in our own times, it is the moment of crisis that
causes us to reach within for fortitude and resilience. In many
cases, it is in such trying moments that we wake up to realize who we
are and what our purpose really is. Queen Esther was driven in a
corner with her back to the wall, and the only way out was up to her,
not only for her own life, but for her people. Approaching the king
uninvited could mean death under the law, and there was no guarantee
that the king would hold out to her the golden sceptre, but she had
no choice, and decided, “If I perish, I perish.” We can
classify this action in any term we wish, but the fact remains that
this was Esther’s most shining moment. It reminds me of Paul’s
exhortation to the churches in Antioch, Lystra, and Iconium, that
through much tribulation must we enter into the kingdom. Isn’t
this the very reason why each gate into the city was made of a pearl?
Sure, because a pearl is made out of intense and constant pressure.
Esther’s situation was not unique! In other words, it was not
uncommon among human beings. A wise man once said: “I have
seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be
exercised in it.” Ecclesiastes 3:10.
It is in times of pressure and severe tests that we develop stronger
links with Him who stands ready at the very point when we seem to
come to the end of ourselves. I like a song that I learned while
serving as pastor in West Palm Beach, Florida, and it goes like this:
“When we come to the end of ourselves, there’ll be no
broken vessels sitting down on God’s shelf; all men free, all
men see, that God is all that is left, when we come to the end of
ourselves.” Seemingly, it is the very opposite with us!
When we aspire unto great things, our mindset is to claim progress,
claim success at any cost, and in fact, we endeavor to do all in our
power to achieve that which has become our life’s goal. But
coming to the end of ourselves is not listed on our “to do”
list. The paradoxes of life are plenty. It is in giving away, that we
get! It is in dying that we save our lives! It is in letting loose,
that we keep. Esther had to come through the valley of decision! The
choice was hers, and indeed, God had brought her to the kingdom for
such a time as this. In secular life, we see the same pattern
replicated time and time again! When the world seemed to be teetering
on sheer disaster, men like Churchill, Eisenhower, Omar Nelson
Bradley, George C. Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Daniel “Chappie”
James and the Tuskegee Airmen stepped to the forefront and became
saviors of many nations of the world. When the wicked hands of
apartheid became slated for its demise, God visited a prison house
and released a man named Nelson Mandela. In spite of 27 years in
prison on Robben Island, and a full six years in solitary
confinement, this man emerged as a man of peace. Hatred and revenge
could have permeated this man’s soul, and he could have turned
South Africa into a blood bath. But the Lord had created within him a
heart for peace that has placed an entire nation on a road of respect
and dignity in the eyes of other nations of the world. Coming into
the body of Christ poses a personal question for each person. “Am
I come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” The actions of
Queen Esther and Mordecai in turning back the evils of Haman have
resulted in establishing the Jewish feast called “Purim”
held the 14th day of the twelfth month, Adar (March) to
commemorate the deliverance of the Jews from Haman. The life of
Esther, an orphan Jewish girl has been so greatly admired and has
been considered of such value that a book in the bible bears her
name.
One
amazing feature of the Book of Esther is that its narrative does not
mention the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It does not mention the
power of the Almighty to deliver in times of trouble. It does not
mention God, who lifts up the beggar from the dunghill and set him
among princes. Divine providence seems to be missing as far as
written records go. But having said that, who among us can argue that
God was absent in the life story of this orphan girl? Can we deny
that God was with this girl from birth? Having been made an orphan,
she found a home and love with her cousin, Mordecai, who, in turn,
loved her as his own daughter. But there is something else of vital
importance we don’t want to miss. Little Hadassah (Esther’s
original name) was awash in obedience to her cousin. He guided her
expertly, even as she sat on the throne, and even at this stage of
“having arrived” as we Americans say, she listened and
learned from Mordecai.
I was
raised on a little country farm in Jamaica, located 15 miles from
Port Antonio along the banks of the Rio Grande River. The district
had no electricity and the homes had no running water or indoor
plumbing. We walked 2 miles to and from school over rough gravel
roads. I had to leave school at the age of 14 because of the illness
of my adopted parents. I got to know my mother at about age 10, but
I never knew my father, even though at age 16, back in the city of
Kingston were I was born, I could have gone to meet him. However, I
was now walking the streets of the city looking for work with the
help of some Chinese relatives. So at that point in time I did not
think I needed him. Today I look on my life in retrospect and the
path it took, the people who offered me a hand up, especially in the
Church, and I marvel how God’s hand has been with me all the
way. I have learned to see HIM not only in large outstanding events,
but in very small things. So it was with this orphan child who grew
in beauty and personal character to become Queen Esther. The down
side of Esther’s story is that she personally sought and
obtained the death of Haman’s ten sons, having them hanged in
public along with five hundred men in Shushan. It is safe to say, had
Esther lived in the Christian era, the love and forgiveness of your
enemies that Jesus taught would have made her a queen of
reconciliation. Of Mordecai we read: “For Mordecai the Jew
was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted
of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people,
and speaking peace to all his seed.” Esther 10: 3. This
story highlights the life of another woman in history who made a
difference by not counting her own life.
In the story of Jesus’ earthly ministry it was customary for him to take the bread and to bless it. But with the very next breath, he broke the bread and shared it among his disciples. Once, in a desert place at evening tide his disciples would have the multitude leave to buy bread in town. But Jesus said, “they need not depart; give ye them to eat.” The lesson is that although we rejoice when the hand of God blesses us, we must remember that the same hand in due time will break us, so that we can be fed to the world as part of “the bread of life.” Our life is only good and worthwhile if it is spent serving others in Christ’s stead—as his voice—as his hands—as his feet. In our own little capacity each one of us can say, “Here am I, Lord, send me.”
Royce O. Kennedy
